Efficient Production of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural from Carbohydrates Catalyzed by Mesoporous Al–B Hybrids

A series of hydroxylated mesoporous aluminum–boron catalysts with different Al/B molar ratios were synthesized through a sol–gel method, and were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, NH3-TPD, SEM and N2 adsorption–desorption techniques. It was demonstrated that hydroxylated Al2B3 containing more Lewis acidity showed superior activity to the other Al–B catalysts in dehydration of glucose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) with a high yield of up to 39.9 % and glucose conversion of 92.1 % at 140 °C for 2 h. The synergistic effect of Lewis and Bronsted acid sites in Al2B3 catalyst was demonstrated to be crucial for efficient conversion of glucose to HMF.